Scholarly pursuits, and other dangerous activities
by Whoa Heavy
Summary: Knowledge is power. And in the world of Tamriel, two empires are about to clash, each fighting a war over this fact. A scholar stands, guarding the key to the power of the thu'um. But time is running out, and soon, Tamriel will burn.


_**Scholarly pursuits, and other dangerous activities**_

_**Chapter One: Cyrodil- 4E 171**_

* * *

_**Horatio's POV**_

"We need more time Igor!" I shouted.

"Sir, the aldemeri Dominion is breathing down our neck, unless you have a plan to get us out of here we will..." Shouted Igor. He was my assistant, a stout nordic man who was well into his fifties. He had been in my employ for over twenty years. He had greying hair, deep blue eyes and a tired look in them.

I stopped listening to him. We were inside the great imperial library, storage of some of the oldest books known to man. They included the only known description of Altmora, the homeland of mankind, and the oldest known poem, "Avast forwards! Never back".

Both of those were circumstantial. I was looking for a text far more... Intriguing. Of course, I didn't have much time. The Thalmor were as of that moment invading the Imperial city. Magical fires were consuming the city, including the library. The city hadn't seen such destruction since the Oblivion crisis about 170 years ago.

"Sir, we are running out of time! If the Thalmor catch you they'll tear you apart!" Explained Igor.

"And if I don't get this book out of here they'll do far more then that." I said.

We ran between the bookcases, some stretching 4 metres high, others ordained with ebony straight from the old province of Vvardenfell. But none of them had the book.

I listened very carefully. The sound of repeated knocking, or more accurately barging, could be heard. The Thalmor were about to charge through into the library, and there was no way I could win in a straight fight. I searched the nearest bookcase, it was now or never. My eyes rested upon a old leather bided book. Well, leather to the untrained eye. Indeed it was bided by two dragon scales, making the book as old as the early nords. Inside it contained the only full dictionary, besides the Greybeards guide atop the throat of the world, of the dragon language, or the thu'um. I had studied the early nordic culture for over 30 years. It was time I studied the immense power of "The voice."

But fate had other things in mind. Because at that moment, the Thalmor finally breached the door, and came charging in, launching fire spell upon fire spell, intending to burn the library to the very ground.

"Sir, we are out of time!" Shouted Igor. I nodded my head solemnly. I had worked at this library for longer then many a man can remember. And now, 400 years after it's construction, after it had survived an invasion by Mehrunes Dagon himself, and the great turmoil of Jagar Tharn, it had finally begun to collapse.

"We have to get out of here Igor. There's an entrance to the sewers near the well, we'll escape the city from there." I explained. Igor nodded.

I peaked around the corner, two high elves, dressed in the black and gold Thalmor robes, were searching for any life. It wouldn't take them long to realise they had to cast life detection, so we sneaked past. I readied my silver dagger. It wouldn't do much damage, but I felt safer with it anyway. Igor wielded his dwarven longsword, artefact I had picked up in Morrowind some time ago. We were careful not to make a sound, travelling lightly, on our tip toes. After a few terrifying moments, passing mage upon mage, we reached the central courtyard of the library. It was covered by a squad of Thalmor, a justicar, and three soldiers. There was no way I was going to get past.

"Sir, do you have a potion of invisibility?" asked Igor. I checked my pouch that was attached to my belt.

"No. Damn!" I whispered.

"Then you are going to need a distraction right?" He asked. I gulped. I knew what was about to happen.

"There are other ways out of the city. If we can get to the old arcane university." I said.

"No sir. This is the only way out. The Thalmor control the streets, the imperial legion is pulling out." Said Igor. He took a deep breath. "Is the book important?"

I remember what I had discovered over the last two years.

"Incredibly so." I replied. "The dragons are returning, and the way of the Thu'um would be a dangerous asset to the Thalmor."

"Then so be it." Said Igor. "Good luck sir."

And with that he charged into the middle of them, waving his sword around, trying to get there attention. I knew it wouldn't be long until we would be killed, so I quickly crouch ran towards the fountain and jumped in. The fountain itself was five metres deep, and at the bottom was a grating towards the sewers beneath the imperial city. I swam, quickly, to the bottom, and began to pull on the grating. After a terrifying thirty seconds, the grating finally gave in and I moved it to the side. I swam further down, holding my breath on the way.

I tumbled and twisted and turned, until I landed in a foot of water. I looked up. I was in a dark stone tunnel, the remains of the old Ayleid city beneath the imperial city.

For once, the sewers were filled with people, all of whom were trying to escape the city. It would be long before the Thalmor realised this and would move underground, so I began to run. Eventually there were steps up to the embankment. I walked up them and looked up. There was a grating. Through it I could see the burning buildings, the dark red sky and hear the screams of people. It was horrible. I looked back, realising this would probably be the last time I ever would leave the imperial city. I breathed in, and continued through the sewers.

* * *

_**Falkreath-4E 201**_

Of all the places I wanted to continue my research ironically Skyrim wasn't the best one. Morrowind might be a blasted volcanic wasteland and no man could get to summerset isles but they had the second greatest libraries in Tamerial.

Instead, I was stuck in a tavern in the small city of Flakreath, the south of Skyrim. There were several reasons for this.

Thalmor occupation was little to none, meaning they wouldn't find me again.

The land had many treasures, some material, but the greater ones were informal. The Oghma Infinium was rumoured to be here, which could relay many important facts, and would sell for a pretty penny to.

The dragons will be returning.

I knew this. Thirty years of my admittedly long life had been spent confirming this fact. Alduin will return and the world will be devoured. Unless the legendary Dragonborn can stop him. But the last known dragonborn was the emperor Martin Septim, nice lad, but he was dead.

But no wasn't the time for mulling over the possible end of the world. If I were to continue my research I need a companion. Or at least one better then that Conrad Verner I hired last month. Spent five hour gushing about the hero of Kvatch. A women he had never meet, then charged a bear wielding only a woodcutters axe. Head torn clean off. Shame, cost me one hundred gold, and there was no way I was getting the body from that bear.

I walked towards the tavern keeper.

"And what's a young Imperial like you doing in Skyrim?" Asked the friendly tavern keeper. Sometimes it was hard to remember what aged I look to other people. That's the side effect of Corpus. Immortality. Of course, there are negatives. Horrific dreams of the now dead Dagoth Ur. A large cancerous growth in my lungs, making breathing sometimes difficult. And of course, being immortal and yet looking like a twenty seven year old. Great for picking up chicks, awful if you want to be a respected scholar.

"Research." I replied. "Can I put in a advert for a job please?" I asked.

She got out a quill and paper.

"Certainly. What do you want the advert to say?" She asked.

"Required: Able bodied solider willing to work with Scholar on prolonged expedition. Understanding of the super natural and lore preferably, but not necessary. Bring own equipment. Pay; 300 gold a month." I explained. She placed a full stop.

"I'll place this in the window. That'll be 40 gold please." She asked. I handed over forty septims. My contact in the new Imperial library, one Gerek Gro Bagk, an orcish scholar, regularly funded my expedition. Of course, I will have to find another way of making money assuming this companion lasts longer then a month. But that shouldn't be to hard. The nords love Imperial Scholars trying to take their heritage away from them. Right?

* * *

_**That's the first "Action packed" Chapter of my new Elder Scrolls series. Yes, Horatio is a corpus infectee, which will be explained in far greater detail later. If you have no idea what that is, type in Corpus on the Elder Scrolls wiki. Adiós!**_


End file.
